In various traffic situations vehicles need to change from one road lane to another road lane. For example, different lanes may lead to different destinations, and therefore a vehicle may have to change lane in order to arrive at a desired destination. In some scenarios a road comprises a plurality of road lanes. A vehicle may then have to change between lanes e.g. in order to keep a selected driving velocity.
Some vehicles today are equipped with autonomous and/or at least partly automatic drive systems. Such systems generally aim at increasing comfort and/or safety for vehicle occupants. Some systems are also arranged to increase safety for persons in the vehicle surrounding. An example of such system is an adaptive cruise control system, ACC. Such system can keep a selected host vehicle velocity. If the host vehicle approaches a preceding vehicle driving in the same lane the ACC may adjust the selected velocity such that the host vehicle keeps a safety distance to the preceding vehicle.
On roads with multiple lanes vehicles may be positioned relatively each other such that at least one of the vehicles drives in a blind spot of another vehicle. A blind spot is a zone or section of a host vehicle surrounding in which a vehicle operator and/or vehicle sensors have difficulties to detect objects near the host vehicle.
Since the vehicle operator and/or vehicle sensors may be unable to detect nearby objects, such as a vehicle driving in an adjacent lane, a risk for collision may be enhanced.
The system described in EP2492165B1 aims at decreasing a risk that a vehicle drives in a blind spot of another vehicle when a host vehicle catches up a preceding vehicle. A detecting unit of the host vehicle can detect if a surrounding vehicle is in a blind spot. If such situation occurs the velocity of the host vehicle is changed such that none of the vehicles stays in the blind spot of the other vehicle.
The system in EP2492165B1 may function well in some specific scenarios but there remains a need for an arrangement which efficiently can improve traffic safety in potential lane changing situations.